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Visit pyongyang

Long a crucial city, Pyongyang has been contested over the centuries by myriad warring kingdoms and empires, from the Tang Chinese to Koryo, the glorious dynasty from which Korea takes its name. After suffering untold devastation during the Korean War, Pyongyang was rebuilt into the city it is today - a stark, centrally-planned urban enclave based on Soviet-era design principles. At last count, the city was home to approximately 3 million, and is the political and economic center of North Korea.

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Pyongyang reputedly has 58m² of green belt per citizen – four times the amount prescribed by the United Nations, and in spring its hills heave with green. It is, as Kim Il Sung meant it to be, a city without parallel in Korea, or Asia.

Choe Yong Chol

North Korea Travel Specialist

Things to See and Do in Pyongyang

Juche Tower

Directly across the Taedong River from Kim Il Sung Square is the landmark Juche Tower. The tapering, four-sided, 560-foot (171 meter) tall monument is built of one stone for each day of Kim Il Sung’s life, and is topped with a giant red flame, illuminated at night. Supposedly based on the Washington Monument, which stands at 555 feet, or 169 meters – the Juche Tower is taller by merely a few feet. Take the elevator to the top for striking, 360-degree views over Pyongyang.

Arch of Triumph

Visit the Arch of Triumph in central Pyongyang. Erected in 1982 to commemorate Kim Il Sung's return to Korea in 1945, at just shy of 200 feet (61 meters) tall, it is the largest such triumphal arch in the world - purposely built to be larger than the one in Paris. Take the lift to the top for another stunning, panoramic vista over Pyongyang.

Kim Il Sung Mausoleum (Kumsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun)

Visit the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, more commonly known as the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung, for a surreal experience of the people's reverence for the Great Leader; indeed, bowing to his image is a strict requirement. After a rigorous entry procedure, an elaborate procession leads you through enormous palatial halls until finally you approach the transparent sarcophagus in which The Great Leader's body lies embalmed.

Kim Il Sung Square

Visit the vast Kim Il Sung Square, located in the center of the city and Pyongyang's largest open plaza. It is here that you will begin to get a sense of the grandness of the city's architecture and its devotion to the "Great Leader" and founder of the DPRK.

Korean Art Gallery

Explore the fascinating Korean Art Gallery, located on the square, which chronicles Korean life across the centuries, from reproductions of ancient tomb paintings to 20th-century socialist-realism paintings created to further the goals of the socialist state.

Mansudae Grand Monument

Stand in awe of the Mansudae Grand Monument, a 65-foot (19 meter) tall bronze statue of Kim Il Sung with right arm outstretched, pointing the way, perhaps, to the perfect socialist future. On any given day you will see ordinary North Koreans bowing in front of the statue, while on holidays thousands of citizens will visit the monument to present flowers and pay their respects. You will be asked to place a bouquet of flowers as well.

Moranbong Park

Take a stroll through the lovely Moranbong Park, one of the city's most attractive green spaces. If it's a weekend or a holiday, you will see many North Koreans picnicking and enjoying their day off.

Mass Games

If you are visiting during August or September, attend the Mass Games, a larger-than-life extravaganza featuring 100,000 performers in synchronized gymnastics, acrobatics, dance, folk songs, and more. With choreographed stories about the country's educational system, military might, cooperative farms and other aspects of societal life, it is nothing less than a comprehensive celebration of North Korean nationalism. The spectacle is performed for two months in the May Day Stadium, the largest in the world with a capacity of 150,000.

Mansudae Art Studio

Visit the Mansudae Art Studio, the foremost art production center in Pyongyang, where most of the sculptures, paintings and monuments seen around the city are made by government-employed artists, who work full-time and are directly supervised by the state. Tour the studio and talk with an artist about his life and work.

Ongryu (Chongryu) Restaurant

Have lunch at the upscale Ongryu (Chongryu) Restaurant, famous for its naengmyoen, delicious homemade cold noodles and bindaedeok, or green-bean pancakes. The pancakes, a traditional North Korean staple, are made from kneading green bean flour with vegetables, meat and leeks, then fried, and are considered both savory and salutary to one's health. The carpark is likely to be full of Mercedes sedans and BMW's, and the other diners are probably top North Korean government officials.

Party Foundation Monument

Visit another of Pyongyang's grand monuments to the state, the imposing Party Foundation Monument, comprising three 160-foot (49-meter) tall sculptures of fists gripping a hammer, sickle and writing brush – symbolizing workers, farmers and intellectuals – and the tools that make up the emblem of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.

Pyongyang Metro

Descend into the Pyongyang Metro, the deepest subway system in the world at roughly 360 feet (110 meters) below ground, and also one of the most beautiful, at least along the stops that Western tourists are shown. Take an extended ride on the Metro, which opened in 1973, and marvel at the pristine stations' high vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, elaborate mosaics and paintings, and marble platforms and concourses.

USS Pueblo

Board the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy intelligence ship captured by the North Koreans in 1968. Officially, it's never been decommissioned by the Americans, although North Korea has proudly displayed it as a trophy ever since its capture, turning it into a museum that has, over the past four and a half decades, become one of the most popular attractions in the country.

War Museum (Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum)

Explore the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, a vast collection of artifacts dedicated to North Korea's version of the events of the Korean War. As the museum’s name indicates, the picture painted is rather different than the Western perception of the conflict, but the exhibits can give visitors a closer look at the North Korean historical perspective.

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

See the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, the crown of the peak of Mount Taesong. Climb the flight of 300 steps to the top of the cemetery, where more than 200 fighters from the resistance against the Japanese in the first half of the 20th century, as well as the Korean War, are interred and memorialized with bronze busts.

School Children's Palace (Mangyongdae Children's Palace)

Tour Pyongyang's School Children's Palace (Mangyongdae Children's Palace) – an after-school center for arts, science, computer, and athletic activities, attended by more than 10,000 students. Witness an electrifying musical and dance performance by the highly trained young students in the Palace's 2,000-seat auditorium.

Ragwon (Paradise) Department Store

Stop in the Ragwon (Paradise) Department Store for a glimpse at the state of retail in North Korea, which lacks the consumer culture and materialism of the west, so it is worth a visit. You can purchase many interesting local products such as the bizarre "Korean Snake Alcohol", a potent libation with 40-60% alcohol content and a large dead snake in the bottle.

Best Time to Visit Pyongyang

The rainy season, mainly July and August, is very humid, cloudy and sticky, and not brilliant for radiant photography as the rain soups up poorer roads and rail lines and curtails access. The best times to go are April to June and September to October, when it is cool, dry and colourful, from spring’s heaving tides of white blossoms to autumn’s cascades of gold and red. If there are Mass Games on they are an absolute must-see.

Max Temperature(ºC)

Jan

-2

Feb

1

Mar

7

Apr

16

May

22

Jun

26

Jul

28

Aug

29

Sep

25

Oct

18

Nov

9

Dec

0

Rainfall (mm)

Jan

12

Feb

15

Mar

26

Apr

36

May

81

Jun

96

Jul

306

Aug

195

Sep

104

Oct

40

Nov

38

Dec

16

Month

Daily Max Temperature

Monthly Rainfall

JAN

-2ºC

12mm

FEB

1ºC

15mm

MAR

7ºC

26mm

APR

16ºC

36mm

MAY

22ºC

81mm

JUN

26ºC

96mm

JUL

28ºC

306mm

AUG

29ºC

195mm

SEP

25ºC

104mm

OCT

18ºC

40mm

NOV

9ºC

38mm

DEC

0ºC

16mm

Suggested Itineraries

Our itineraries will give you suggestions for what is possible when you travel to Pyongyang, and they showcase routes we know work particularly well. Treat them as inspiration, because your trip will be created uniquely by one of our specialists. Alternatively, if you would like to include a visit to Pyongyang on a bespoke touring itinerary to North Korea (DPRK), do not hesitate to contact us.

from $ 1,225

Accommodation Choices for Pyongyang

Ideas for Experiencing Pyongyang

Tourists will be able to strap themselves into an aging Mi-17 - a Soviet-era military transport helicopter known for its small, porthole-like windows, on a pleasure flight over Pyongyang in a Soviet Mi-17 Helicopter.

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